Over Here!
Are Internet search engines ignoring you? Yours may be the best
darn doughnut shop ever, but when someone checks Google for, say,
"doughnut shops," are you even among the 84,400 results
that pop up? What's the use of having a Web site if no one can
find it?

That's why Dan Bricklin, co-inventor of the VisiCalc
spreadsheet program, launched the SMBmeta initiative, a way for
some of the unique attributes of small and midsize businesses to
rise to the top of search results. His site, SMBmeta.org, describes
the new SMBmeta form you can fill out with specifics about your
company: its name, address, services, location, hours of operation,
nearby transportation and what makes it special. Your webmaster can
insert the form onto your home page, and, hopefully, as search
engines and online directories pick up on the concept, you'll
start to get noticed. Bricklin has posted a demo site
(www.overall.com) where you can see the results of a search
involving companies that have already inserted SMBmeta files in
their Web pages.

So what's the catch? None. The SMBmeta file can be filled in
quickly and easily with tools available on the SMBmeta site, and
it's free. Try ignoring that!

Suite Deal
A full office-suite software package at a rock-bottom cost? Sounds
promising. The OpenOffice.org office suite, a close relative of Sun
Microsystems' StarOffice, is designed to rival Microsoft
Office. It features word processing, spreadsheet, presentation and
drawing components and is available for Linux, Windows and, at
press time, as a beta for Macintosh OS X. The program reads
Microsoft Office file formats, and the documents it outputs can be
read in Office so there are no compatibility problems. And did we
mention it's free? You can install OpenOffice.org on as many
computers in your business as you'd like.

The basics of the program have been around for a while, but
recent updates make it more appealing for entrepreneurs. Most
notably, it now has the ability to export files in PDF and Flash
format. OpenOffice.org also features international language
support. The suite as a whole is designed to be familiar to any
user who has experience with an office suite. A final release
version of the suite will be out by the time you read this. What
you won't get is a program equivalent to Microsoft's
Outlook or a regular technical support system. There's no
toll-free number to call for help, but user help is available via
the OpenOffice.org Web site. It's a tempting offer for growing
businesses that don't mind that limitation.

If OpenOffice.org sounds good, but you're not ready to give
up the help desk support, try Sun Microsystems' StarOffice,
which retails for less than $80, or $1,500 for a 25-user pack.
It's built on the same code but with some third-party extras,
like additional templates and a clip art gallery.

A sister project, dubbed OpenGroupware.org, is working on
developing an alternative to the Microsoft Exchange Server
software. When released, this will fill a major missing piece in
the open source software puzzle. Entrepreneurs who have already
adopted the OpenOffice.org suite will find the new software
compatible with it. Visit OpenOffice.org to download the software
or get involved with the community.

52%of small businesses complain new software is
hard to use and has a steep learning curve.SOURCE: FileMaker Inc.

Each year, computer systems fail for more than
two hours at50%of U.S. businesses.SOURCE: Ernst &
Young

$375 billion is spent on groceries each year,
yet less than1%of those purchases are made via the Net.

SOURCE: Jupitermedia

Paul Hyman, a former editor-in-chief at CMP Media, writes
about technology. He lives in Long Island, New York.